Never Going to Work
by iwannabeawriter
Summary: (The projector never flashes on the bridge.) Peter knows, MJ has caught him out. She knows the truth about him being Spiderman and he knows nothing that he can say would change that. But, right now, he honestly can't find it in him to care. All he feels right now is stupid and hurt.


**Never Going to Work**

**A/N: I should be writing the next chapter to Spiderman: Home is Where the Heart S but thisnidea wouldnt leave me alone. This is part one of a three part series of one-shots. Hope you likenit and pleas review!**

"Yeah," MJ says, quietly, "Why else would I be watching you?"

"I…" Peter began, but the words suddenly got stuck in his throat, as her words hit him, making him feel like he'd just been kicked in his stomach.

Peter felt stupid, so, so stupid!

It was so completely obvious, every time that he'd noticed MJ watching him, every time he'd felt her gaze lingering on him, every time she'd questioned him about where he was going, why he missed Decathlon practice or why he was tired after a long night of patrol.

All those times he was wrong. It wasn't because she liked him. It was because she was suspicious and observant. MJ, being MJ, was smart enough to see the connections between Peter Parker in Spiderman. She noticed Washington. If she noticed that, Peter thinks she would've noticed the night of Homecoming with Liz's dad and she'd just told him she noticed him tonight, leaving the opera tonight.

Peter knows, MJ has caught him out. She knows the truth about him being Spiderman and he knows nothing that he can say would change that. But, right now, he honestly can't find it in him to care.

All he feels right now is stupid and hurt.

He can't blame her for hurting him. She was never trying to make him think she liked him but it really hurt to know MJ didn't feel the same way for him, that he felt for her.

Peter gulps, giving a small shake of his head as he finds his voice, "It doesn't matter." He whispers, dejectedly, "I just thought maybe….."

Peter shakes his head and fails to muster a small smile, "It doesn't matter."

MJ goes to say something but than they hear voice from back where they walked from, "Hey, wait up!"

Peter turns around and sees Brad Davis running towards them. Again he feels like he's being kicked in the guts before he remembers what's on the ground behind. He turns around, relieved to see MJ quickly putting it back in her backpack.

"Hey guys!" Brad greets them, as stops in front of them.

"What are you doing out here, Brad?" MJ asks, sharply.

"I saw you two, leaving the hotel," Brad answers, smiling at MJ before making eye contact with Peter.

Peter knew exactly why Brad came out here after them. To stop him from asking MJ out or at least to try and stop MJ from saying yes. Again, Peter feels his throat tighten, now knowing Brad never had anything to worry about from him.

"I thought you guys were going out see stuff before we go home tomorrow? You mind if tag a long?"

"Ye—" MJ began, but Peter cuts her off, "No."

Peter thought it was amazing Brad's eyebrows didn't leave his face, with how fast they raised in surprise. MJ turned to him, confused.

"What?"

"I'm not feeling real well." Peter tells her, placing his hand on his stomach. He's telling the truth. "I'm gonna go back to the hotel. You two can go see more stuff in the city before we go home tomorrow."

MJ's blinked at him, her face showing her surprise and something else that Peter couldn't describe. He hoped that she couldn't see what he was trying to do and that it wasn't pity.

Brad, not surprising to Peter, was ecstatic. "Yeah, if you feel sick, you should go back and go to bed. You don't want to be sick on the flight tomorrow."

Peter nods, looking at MJ, who was looking back and forth from Brad to Peter, as though she couldn't understand how she ended up here on the bridge, with them right now.

Peter almost wants to laugh, though he wasn't finding this very funny. But now he knows MJ doesn't want him and he definitely doesn't want to hang around in Venice with her and Brad together. He doesn't see anything to gain in trying to stand between MJ and Brad. MJ would think he was a jealous idiot and that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He doesn't want that, even though right now he doesn't know if he could continue to be 'just friends with MJ.

"You guys have a good night and enjoy yourselves." He gives a sad smile to MJ as he turns around.

"Peter wait—"

"Goodnight guys." He says, with finality as he's walking away.

His eyes begin to sting, as he breathes, walking back towards the hotel, focusing on the sounds the lights buzzing and the soft movements of the water beneath the bridge, because he didn't want to have to hear MJ and Brad talking, Brad asking MJ out and MJ most likely saying yes.

So he just focuses on the water as walks back, the small box in his back pocket, feeling like it weighed ten tonnes.

Peter showers and changes into his sweatpants and t-shirt, preparing to slide into bed, wishing he could sleep and wake up tomorrow without these stupid feelings he has for MJ, just so he wouldn't feel this hurt he was feeling, like his heart was stuck in his throat.

He hears his phone ring as he's about to slide into bed. He picks it up to see that it's May. He feels like ignoring it, not wanting to talk to anyone right now and especially not to have to explain what went wrong with his plan to tell MJ he likes her.

But really, he can never ignore his Aunt and she's always been able to comfort him when he's upset.

"Hey May."

"Hey sweetie!" May greets him, happily and Peter had smile himself. His Aunt is such a bright, happy person and whenever she's around he's always happier than what he is without her.

"I saw you on the news this afternoon. I like the new suit, where did you get it?"

"Um…" Peter closes his eyes, he's really not in the mood to talk about Spiderman or Nick Fury or anything like that. "I just made it out of some clothes I got here. It's good for working at night over here."

"Oh okay!" You did good kid, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks May." He says, tired. He's really grateful for May and it felt good knowing she's proud of him helping people, like she does in her own way. But Spiderman really wasn't making him happy right now, even though he did save a lot of people tonight.

"I know you're coming home tomorrow, I'm sorry you can't get to Paris. Have you told her yet?"

"Um…. Peter sits down on the side of his bed, and rubs his forehead, "No I haven't and I'm not going to."

"What, why not?" May asks, surprised.

Peter sighs, "She doesn't like me May."

"Peter, come one, we've talked about this." May says and Peter thinks she sounds exasperated, "You like her, don't get to scared to tell her how you feel. She makes you happy, I've seen it."

"No, May you don't understand." Peter says, sadly, "I_ know _she doesn't like me. She told me."

"She actually said that."

"She didn't say the words but," Peter hesitates, think he doesn't want to tell his Aunt that MJ has figured out that he's Spiderman, not over the phone, "the point was very clear."

"Oh, sweetie," May says, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

"Did you give her the necklace?"

"No," Peter replies, looking to his bedside table, at the small box that contained the Black Dahlia, "I dint get the chance."

"Are you going to?"

That question throws Peter off guard. Giving MJ the necklace wasn't a real option on the bridge earlier after she told him she was only watching him because she was figuring out if he was Spiderman.

After getting back to the hotel, all he's been thinking for the past hour is that MJ's out enjoying herself with Brad, in Venice. Not as romantic as Paris but still.

The Black Dahlia in front of him, was only making him feel more hurt and more stupid that he could actually believe that MJ felt the same way about him?

But looking at the box now, thinking of Mays question, he doesn't think he could give it to MJ.

"I don't think I can May." He answers, after a moment, "It feels wrong to give it to her now. I want to be her friend still but I don think I could watch her wear it and not think about how I feel for her and how she doesn't feel that way about me."

May hums, "I get it, honey. Just make sure, whatever you do, you're not going to regret it, okay. She may not feel the same way about you but she's been a good friend, hasn't she?"

Peter doesn't have to think about that, "Yeah, she has."

"Don't lose her as a friend, if that's going to make you feel worse sweetie." May tells him, "Another girl will come a long soon and she will feel that way about you. Don't push MJ away, it wont make you feel better."

Peter sighs and nods, " I know, May. Listen, I'm really tired and I want to try to sleep before the flight tomorrow."

"Okay kid. Keep your chin up, okay? I love you."

"I love you too."

The line cuts dead and Peter plugs his phone in to charge on the table next to the box containing the Black Dahlia.

He spares it one more glance before sliding into bed.

Talking to May is always comforting to Peter but it didn't rid him of the sinking feeling of sadness in the pit of his stomach. He hopes that it would disappear while he's sleeping and he'll wake up tomorrow feeling better

He doubts it.

Peter looks at the time on his watch, seeing he only had half an hour to get back to the hotel, so he and his class could leave for the airport.

Thinking over the morning the he's had, he decided that this was the best thing he could do with the Black Dahlia.

He woke up wanting to just take a walk around Venice, alone, before they left for the airport and he's glad that Mr Harrington had let him, when he asked him this morning while the teacher and his friends were having breakfast. When he woke up this morning, he still had the tightening sinking feeling in his stomach from knowing MJ didn't want him, so he wasn't really hungry and after awkwardly encountering MJ at the breakfast table in the hotel, he definitely didn't want to sit with them while they ate.

Staring at the fountain now, he knows this the best thing he can do with the Black Dahlia necklace that he got for MJ. He stills wants to give it to MJ but he knows he wouldn't be able to watch her wear it, knowing she didn't feel the same about him that he felt about her. Knowing that she'd think of it as just a gift from a friend. That she probably wouldn't even wear it, because it wouldn't be special to her.

He takes the necklace by the chain and pulls it out of the box, holding it in front of his eyes.

He'd brought his feelings for MJ on this trip, to this city and he knows he'll be taking them home with him too. But he couldn't bring this necklace back too. He can't bear to have this special reminder of his feelings for MJ and that she didn't return them.

Looking back to the fountain, he takes a breath before flinging the necklace into the water. He watches it sink to the floor, before turning to go back to his class.

He came on this trip with a plan to do one thing. The plan didn't work out and he knows now that it was never going to.

Peter thinks that is what hurts him the most.

**A/N: Hope you liked it. The sequel will be from MJs pov. Please review!**


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